Stationery tray which is retractable beneath the typewriter platform of a desk



NOV. 10, 1959 JUNG 2,912,293

STATIONERY TRAY WHICH IS RETRACTABLE BENEATH THE TYPEWRITER PLATFORM OF A DESK Filed Sept. 25, 1957 INVENTOR. MELVIN H. Jwv

United States Patent STATIONERY TRAY WHICH IS RETRACTABLE BENEATH THE TYPEWRITER PLATFORM OF A DESK Melvin A. Jung, Manitowoc, Wis., assignor to Invincible Metal Furniture Company, Manitowoc, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 25, 1957, Serial No. 686,120

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-29) This invention relates to a stationery tray which is retractable beneath the typewriter platform of a desk.

It is an object of the present invention to retractably mount a dispensing tray for paper stationery beneath the typewriter platform of a desk in such a manner that the tray will be substantially entirely concealed and out of the way when not in use and in a position from which the tray may be withdrawn to a position in which it is at least partially exposed for access to the paper stationery contents thereof. When withdrawn to its exposed position aforesaid, the tray of the present invention takes up very little aisle room and does not substantially reduce knee room beneath the platform. It its retracted position the tray of the present invention may be transported with the typewriter platform into the desk pedestal.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the tray is provided with guide tracks within a recess or hollow space beneath the platform and upon which it is movable on a path which is downwardly inclined with respect to the level of the platform to clear the forward flange of the platform in the course of moving it beneath an exposed position forward of the flange and a retracted position rearwardly of the flange.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a desk having a typewriter support platform and tray embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the tray and its mounting rails, these parts being shown detached from the platform.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section taken generally along the line 33 of Figure 4, the tray being shown in full lines in its withdrawn position and in dash lines in its retracted position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of Figure 3.

The desk 8 is generally conventional and is provided with a hollow pedestal 9 and a typewriter support platform 10 which is mounted on conventional transport mechanism (not shown) on which it is movable between its exposed position shown in Figure 1 and a position in which it is retracted into the pedestal 9 to store the typewriter therein.

Platform 10 is conventionally made of metal and is provided with side flanges 11 and a forward flange 12. The flanges 11 and 12 are respectively turned inwardly at 13, 14 and upwardly at 15, 16. The platform may be stiffened longitudinally by channel shaped stiffener rib members 17 which laterally abut the flanges of the platform and which may be provided with mounting bracket flanges 18 spot welded or otherwise suitably fastened to the underside of platform 10.

Within the recess or hollow formed between flanges 11 and 12 beneath the platform 10, I mount stationery dispensing tray 21 which desirably has multiple pockets or compartments in which various sizes and grades of paper stationery may be stored in a convenient location with 2,912,293 Patented Nov. 10, 1959 respect to a typewriter 20 on platform 10. The partitions 22 of the tray 21 which define its multiple sockets have cut-out finger grip notches 23 and paper-stop flanges 24. The tray is also provided with side walls 25 near the upper margins of which it is provided with front and rear pairs of laterally projecting support pins 26, 30. The pins 26, 30 project into sliding engagement with the elongated slots 27 formed in the track or guide rails 28 of the tray frame 29. The frame 29 further comprises flanges 32 formed on the rails 28 and fastened by sheet metal screws 33 or the like to the platform stiffener 17. Accordingly, the frame 29 is securely mounted in the hollow or recess beneath the platform 10 and within its downwardly extending marginal flanges 11, 12.

The guide slot 27 is contoured as shown in Fig-- ures 2 and 3 and desirably consists of a portion 34 most remote from the platform flange 12 which is substantially horizontal-and parallel to the platform 10, an intermediate portion 35 which is downwardly inclined with respect to the level of the platform 10 and a foremost portion 36 proximate the flange 12 which is horizontal and substantially parallel to the platform 10 and to slot portion 34.

Accordingly, when the tray is withdrawn from its fully retracted position to its fully exposed position, the forward guide pins 26 will descend along the inclined slot portion 35 to lower the forward end of the tray to a level below flanges 12, 14, 16. Thereafter, the forward pins 26 enter the horizontal portion 36 of the track slots and further withdrawal of the tray will be along the horizontal path.

With the tray in its Figure 2 position, its paper stationery content is fully accessible for dispensing, yet the major portion of the tray remains concealed within the recess beneath the platform 1i) and it does not project materially downwardly from the platform to reduce knee room beneath the platform; nor does the exposed portion of the tray project sufiiciently forwardly of platform flange 12 to block passage around the platform or obstruct any aisle adjacent to the platform. Moreover, in its withdrawn position the downward incline of its partitions 22 provides gravity feed of its paper stationery content. When retracted beneath the platform 10 the tray is substantially entirely concealed in the hollow or recess beneath the platform and may be transported with the typewriter and platform 10 into the pedestal 9.

I claim:

1. The combination in a desk having a hollow pedestal and a typewriter platform movable into and out of said pedestal, said platform being provided with a marginal flange behind which the platform is hollow, of a tray having multiple stationery compartments, means for mounting the tray beneath the platform and including a track on which the tray is movable between one position in which the tray is substantially completely concealed in the hollow beneath the platform and another position in which the tray is at least partially exposed below and beyond said flange for access to its contents, said track comprising side rails having intercommunicating tray guide slots including uppermost and lowermost slots substantially parallel to the level of the platform and an intervening inclined slot connecting said uppermost and lowermost slots, said tray being provided with pairs of spaced guide pins slidably engaged in said slots, said pins being spaced fore and aft a distance such that when the foremost pair of pins is at the foremost end of the lowermost slots the rearmost pair of pins is at a higher level and the tray is downwardly and forwardly inclined for gravity feed of tray contents.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said side rails are provided with angle flanges extending laterally therefrom,

3 4 said platform being provided with side stiffener ribs to 2,565,845 Frederick Aug. 28, 1951 whichsaid angle flanges are fastened. 2,643,167 Wade June 23, 1953 2,676,863 Cooper Apr. 27, 1954 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,695,831 Sigal Nov. 30, 1954 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS D FOREIGN PATENTS 1,802,060 Neely Apr. 21, 1931 111,938 Sweden Sept. 26, 1944 2,471,245 Shoenberg May 24, 1949 128,418 sw tzer and NOV. 1, 192 8 2,482,611 Deutemeier -2 Sept. 20, 1949 7 Germany Mar. 25, 1942 

